Vampires
Vampires are a species of blood drinking creatures that were once human. Characteristics Vampires live forever, and several depicted vampires are hundreds of years old or more. Their diet is based strictly on blood, and while human blood is preferred, some can survive also by ingesting the blood of other animals (although this is usually less desirable or less nutritious). Sometimes, their behaviour becomes feral and emotionless upon becoming a vampire, while other vampires do show human empathy or even act completely normal and retain their original human personality. This is caused by the existence of different sub-types of vampires, which have different characteristics. Some are known to be completely evil and devoid of humanity, while others only have their humanity drowned out by the urge for blood or a drive towards violence. Some vampires can infect their victims and turn them into vampires using their own blood or venom, whereas others have to drain the victim first before infecting with blood, have to also kill the victim or have to use a compilation of these methods. Others need to bite the victim a select number of times, with a smaller number of bites having a weaker effect, or none at all. Vampires can be killed by decapitation, which is the main method used to kill a vampire as all sub-types of vampires are vulnerable to this method. However some sub-types of vampires can be killed by other means, such as burning them or killing them with a wooden stake pierced through their heart. Even exposure to sunlight is fatal for some. When vampires die they will all turn to ash, leaving no body behind. 'Reproduction' Vampirism is usually a blood-borne pathogen, spread by introduction of either infected blood or venom into the human blood stream. Subtypes which possess venom normally cannot infect using their blood too. In most cases, the infection cannot enter a person's system through the eyes, nose or unbroken skin, but it can be transmitted through either ingestion or direct injection into the bloodstream. The exact method depends upon the subtype. The most common are injection of venom through biting, draining or death combined with ingestion of infected blood, and merely ingestion of infected blood. Appearance All vampires can display an entirely human appearance, which is usually identical to their appearance before being transformed, but can also occasionally be more attractive than usual. However, they normally also have a more monstrous form. These all have common features, such as sharp, pointed, retractable teeth that emerge from their gums and extend beyond their human teeth, termed fangs. Most vampires will only display their fangs when feeding or fighting. They also have youthfulness derived from their immortality, and some will have their eyes change colour, turning red or golden or black. Powers and Abilities *'Super Strength' - All vampires possess great strength. They are capable of lifting heavy objects and overpowering humans. *'Fangs/Teeth -' Vampires' teeth are superhumanly strong and can rip open a human's skin easily. *'Super Speed -' Vampire speed is far greater than humans. Most can move so quickly that they appear to vanish or blur. *'Super Agility -' Vampires possess amazing agility. They can climb up walls and jump off buildings without hurting themselves. Vampires also have greater reflexes than humans. *'Superhuman Senses -' Vampires have extremely keen senses that are superior to those of humans. They can see in the dark, hear a human's heart beat, and possess an enhanced sense of smell. A vampire can track a human's blood over long distances, and can also sometimes identify a person through scent. *'Immortality -' Vampires can potentially live forever. They can't grow old and don't get ill. Additionally, they heal rapidly from almost any injury they sustain. *'Invulnerability -' Vampires can not be killed by conventional weapons like guns and knives. In some cases these weapons do not even hurt or harm them at all. *'Shapeshifting '- Rarely, some vampires also possess the capacity to transform into bats. It is believed that this is due to a vampiric lineage which was originally derived from various shapeshifters turned into vampires. *'Infection - '''All vampires also have the capacity to transform humans into vampires using one method or other. Some vampires can infect non-humans as well. Often vampires will instinctively know how to tranform a person into one of their own. Vulnerabilities As with other supernatural creatures, vampires have weaknesses that can be exploited to defeat them. However some vampires are more vulnerable than others due to different sub-types. *'Beheading''' - Beheading is the most commonly used method to kill vampires as they cannot heal back from being beheaded. All types of vampires can be killed this way. *'Burning' - Burning a vampire can kill some types of vampires whereas some are unaffected by fire. *'Wood' - Wood is another vulnerability to some vampires. If their heart is pierced with wood they can die instantly and turn to ash. However, this is only effective to a particular sub-type of vampires. Other subspecies are completely unaffected, with still others are only weakened, pained or temporarily paralysed by it. *'Sunlight' - Sunlight can burn some vampires and kill them. This therefore makes some types of vampires unable to walk in the day, although brief exposure to sunlight is not immediately deadly as it takes a little time to have an effect. However. some vampires are completely unaffected by sunlight and others feel no more than a burning pain or an increased sensitivity. Known Vampires *Joshua Powell See Also *Vampires Type 1 *Vampires Type 2 Category:Species